7 civilians shot dead by police

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]Seven civilians were shot dead by the Sri Lankan Police in Thampalakamam, in Trincomalee this morning around 6.00 a.m. in retaliation to an attack by the Liberation Tigers on some police force in the area last night.

The incident occurred in a village near Thampalakamam called Pokkuruni.

7 Civilians were dragged to the police post and were shot dead there. One civilian escaped with injuries.

The PLOTE in Trincomalee said that they had protested to the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of the area who had told them that the civilians had been killed by the Liberation Tigers.

The PLOTE had informed SSP that the people in the village are prepared to come forward to identify the policemen who killed the 7 civilians and asked him to hold an identification parade immediately.

However the PLOTE said that they did not receive a positive answer from the SSP.